Fighting for That Wonderful World
by PsychComposer
Summary: A chronicle of the momentous adventures that befall Neku and company a month after the Reaper's game. New friends, old enemies, budding romance, and unexpected danger arrive around every corner. But can Neku save Shibuya, and everything he holds dear?
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

You know, I've been hoping that there'd be a limit to how much hell a person can be forced through. If someone's suffered in ways no normal person would understand, they have to get a break, right? Some higher power, destiny, fate, whatever, has to look down and say, "You know, so-and-so has had a real s#$% life so far. I'll let 'em win the lottery." It's only fair, right? Right?

Apparently not. If three weeks in hell doesn't tip the scale of fate a little in my direction, then I don't know what will.

And the Reaper's Game wasn't the end of my troubles. Oh no. I'm not that lucky. That was only the beginning of something much, much worse...

Don't believe me? Well, see for yourself. The situation I'm in pretty much sums up my life right now.

I'm in front of the 104 building. The early morning sky is layered in rolling grey clouds, which seeped into Shibuya as a heavy, enchanting fog. For once, the normally bustling square is devoid of people, except for a girl standing a few yards away, and Shiki, who was lying next to me.

Her face always reminded me of a fairy that had been in one of my favorite bedtime books. Soft features, flowing black hair, and a smile never far from her lips. Her glasses, big and round, were a size too big, but she refused to get different ones, no matter how much we bugged her about it. She was wearing her favorite green sweater and a skirt she had bought from Natural Puppy, which meant that it was one of the cutest articles of clothing on the planet. Of course, Mr. Mew, the ever-present stuffed pig (or cat, as she would insist), was in her arms, laying limp as stuffed animals do.

The fog leaking into the city lent the entire scene a certain beauty that made you believe you were dead.

Hazy. Everythings hazy.

But everything was so enchanting, so surreal, so beautiful.

Or, it would be.

If it wasn't covered in crimson blood. My blood.

Wait. My blood? Really?

_Yes, Neku, _replied my remaining shred of common sense, _really._

"That can't be right..." I mutter incoherently.

My logical self sighed. _Look down._

I obliged, straining my head a few inches off the rough concrete to get a good look at myself.

I whistled. "Wow," I remark airily "That's impressive."

My chest was crisscrossed with brutal slashes. Barely an inch of my shirt was left unstained by the torrent of blood that had flowed out of the wounds. Some areas of my skin looked more like pulp than living flesh, they had been torn up so much.

Oh look! I can see a bit of my left rib. Thats never happened before. Hah ha ha.

Right about then I remembered how much having your chest slashed to ribbons hurt.

"Uuuuunggghn," I moan as the barbed spear of agony wedges itself through every single nerve in my body. The pain, at least, drove off the fog shrouding my consciousness, allowing me to appreciate just how messed up I was.

Left arm broken. Check.

Right hand mangled. Check.

Pretty sure my foot's not supposed to twist like that. _Graaaaaaah._ Nope. Immobilized. Check.

I felt completely drained. Most of my pins, my only weapons, were shattered, and even if I had them I doubt they would do much good against the psycho who put me in this state. Check, check and check.

And, speak of the devil. She's standing over me right now. And on my fractured arm, thank you very much.

"Hee hee heeeeeeee. Are you having fun? Is the meanie having fun?" she whispered maniacally. Her face, stained red, looked like it belonged on an eight-year-old's head, but her eyes shone with a light that could only be born from decades of madness. Her hair was pink, fluffy, and bouncy, almost like a wore a parka with bunny ears attatched, the cute imagery clashing with the gross amount of blood covering her torso. Her black dress was ripped and torn, like it had been through hell and back.

"Do you want to play s'more? My friend does," she muttered, shifting her broadsword, black and glistening, into a ready position. "And kitty lady fell asleep already."

Shiki! I strained my neck to get a good look at her condition. What I saw made my heart stop dead in it's tracks.

A ragged, bloody hole stretched across her torso, at least six inches wide. Her lifeblood leaked from the wound, soaking the cold, hard ground around her. Mr. Mew, her prized possession and companion, lay slashed in half on top of her, arms spread wide as if still faithfully trying to protect its beloved master.

Shiki. It couldn't be true. Not after all her sacrifices, her kindness, her faith.

I needed to get up now. I needed to make this kid pay for what she'd done, what she'd taken from me!

I struggled and fought against gravity, lifting myself on broken arms and twisted limbs, every piece of my body screaming for relief. But I had to get up. Now!

But the pain... It was... Suffocating.

I fell back on the concrete, the few inches I'd managed to lift myself hurting like a hundred meter drop when my shattered skeleton hit the street. Tears stung my eyes, and not all of them were from the pain. Why? Why couldn't I get up? Why can't I do anything to avenge my friend?

The psycho standing over me had apparently gotten bored of watching my pitiful struggle. She raised her broadsword above her head, preparing for the executing blow.

"Time to play, meanie!"

The broadsword descended in a swift arc toward my exposed neck.

FML doesn't BEGIN to cover it.

Hello! PsychComposer here. Thanks for taking the time to read my first fanfic. I appreciate any and all critisisms, especially those with advice. Any and all help is appreciated!

Anyway, I just want to say that I don't know when I'll be able to have the next chapter up, so don't wait with bated breath or anything. School, friends, life, it all just gets in the way. But untill then, peace, and psych out!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own The World Ends With You or it's characters.

Also, a warning; This fanfic picks up right off from the end of TWEWY. If you haven't

played through the main story, you will be very confused and spoil the story for yourself. So don't do it.

Edit: I am so sorry about the messed up chapters… I didn't realize it would get screwed up so badly. X.X

Anyway, I fixed it, so enjoy. And it won't happen again!

Chapter One

Waking Up

The first thing I noticed was the noise. This wasn't unusual; noise, both sound and otherwise, seems to permeate every square inch of Shibuya. That's why I had gotten my 'phones in the first place, in fact. Everything had been too loud.

The location wasn't strange, either. Scramble Crossing. I knew it without even opening an eyelid. After all, I've woken up here every day for the past three weeks. And each time, the same sounds always jerked me out of dreamland. The monotone bleeps of walking signals, the thuds of countless feet against the concrete, the ever-constant chatter of the pedestrians filling the air with the conversations of thousands of intersecting lives. It is a truly unique atmosphere, one that I've lived in for my whole life without noticing, or caring.

But today was different. Today I just took it all in. The din, the chatter, the chaotic rhythm of the streets. I just let it all wash over me. It really would've been extremely relaxing, if not for one little detail.

I had lost. Again.

I got up in a daze, barely noticing my surroundings, consumed by the realization that made my soul heave with dread. I had lost. I let everyone down. Shiki would never make up with Eri. Rhyme would never find her dream. Beat would spite me eternally for letting him down.

It was all just too much to take in at once.

"Why?" I whispered to myself.

It should've been so simple. Pull the trigger. Shoot the asshole that had killed me, lied to me, and betrayed me. Win the game not only for myself, but for my friends.

But I couldn't do it. Even with everything he'd done, I couldn't kill Joshua. We were partners. It would've felt sick and wrong to kill him out of spite. If I took the shot, I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life.

But how could I have thought like that? How could I been blind to the fact that it was him, or them? Joshua, or my friends? I have to live with my decision for the rest of my life.

Finally, it all just became too much to handle.

"What the HELL! I screamed, throwing all of my frustration, despair, and anger into the uncaring world that barely even acknowledged my existence.

And right when I was about to break into full blown tears…

"Dude?" I heard someone behind me ask. "You OK?"

I froze.

I turned around slowly, barely believing what I had heard.

Behind me stood a slim teenager, cautiously regarding me as one would watch a patient in a psycho ward. He leered at me suspiciously, looking ready to bolt if I made any sudden moves.

I stared back, but for completely different reasons. "You… You can… See me?" I asked, my voice trembling with disbelief.

He blinked. "Yeah. Why?"

I glanced away, suddenly aware of the crowd that had formed after my outburst. They could all see me. They could all hear me. That means…

"YEEEEEEEESSS!" I shouted, thrusting my fists into the air, overcome with glee at my discovery. "I WON!" The crowd took a step back, not sure what to expect from the lunatic shouting in the middle of the square.

"Wait… What about the others? Where are they?" I glanced around me, trying to find my friends. Had they been erased? If they were still alive, where were they?

"Hachiko! " I muttered as I remembered my promise I had made to Beat and Shiki. "I need to get to Hachiko!" I made a mad dash out of the crowd, people parting for me out of surprise. My feet carried me faster than they ever had before, speeding me towards the reunion with my friends.

POV shift

One of the spectators of this scene, unlike most of the others, was grinning from ear to ear after witnessing Neku's appearance. This particular spectator appeared to be a DJ. He was decked out in a brilliant azure sweatshirt and bright orange sweatpants. A bulky set of orange headphones hung from his neck, and his head was covered with a bright red baseball cap.

"Man..." his companion muttered. "What was that kid's problem? Did he win the lottery or somethin'?"

"Nah..." he replied to his friend. "He just won a much bigger Game. Now come on, we gotta get going. I wanna snag that new CAT album before it sells out."

POV shift back

I was panting heavily by the time I reached Hachiko. Swinging my head from one side to the other, I searched desperately for any sign of my friends. Hachiko was rather crowded today, which meant I could barely see a few feet in any direction.

Finally, I reached the statue of the faithful dog. I looked around desperately, but to no avail. They weren't here. What if I was the only one left alive? What if -

"YO! PHONES!" A boisterous voice, ecstatic with excitement, boomed over the hustle and bustle of the crowd. It was quickly followed by a more delicate "Over here!" from a much higher voice.

I relaxed instantly. They're alive. Both of them.

Beat, by now, had managed to carve a path through the crowd and was making a bull rush towards me. Following in his wake was Rhyme, alive and well and human. What a relief. I had been afraid she might be stuck as a noise. Glad to see those fears were unfounded.

As soon as Beat got within arm's reach, he wrapped his huge arms around me in a bear hug that seriously almost broke my spine. "Phones! We did it! We're alive!" He shouted, his face shining like someone had just given him a free all-you can-eat visit to Ramen Don's.

Rhyme followed behind, looking a touch more serious. "Beat, quiet down! We're in public! People are giving us weird looks." Despite her less jubilant attitude, she seemed no less pleased to see me than her brother. She regarded me happily. "So, Neku. It looks like we get to live to see another day," She smiled, the first I'd seen from her in weeks. Then again, she'd spent that entire time as a noise, but whatever.

Beat spoke up again, but not quite as loud. "Phones, I been runnin' around Shibuya fo' AGES, man! Where you been?" He still had me in that killer hug, and I wasn't in much of a state to be talking. Or breathing, in all honesty.

"Beat... Hug... Air..." I wheezed, squeezing the words out of my ribcage. Instantly Beat let go, depositing me onto the ground, where I heaved in a huge breath.

"Sorry, man. But seriously, where you been hidin' at? Me an' Rhyme ran around Shibuya a' least twice lookin' for you an' Shiki," He said earnestly, with barely a pause to account for a near fatal hug. The guy never paces himself.

"Speaking of Shiki," Rhyme interjected, "Have you seen her? We've been looking around, but we haven't you're the first one we've found," she remarked. Her face wore a worried expression.

Beat was unperturbed by Shiki's absence. "Relax, sis. she'll show. We all promised to meet here. So all we gotta do is wait," he asserted, pleased with his solution.

Rhyme raised an eyebrow. "A promise? So during all this time we spent on a wild goose chase around Shibuya, we could've just been waiting here?" she ventured questioningly.

Beat instantly got defensive. "Hey, I wasn't chasing no goose, sis. 'Sides, we found Phones, didn't we?" he pointed out.

"But we didn't have to go running around Shibuya, did we?" Rhyme countered.

"...S'pose not," Beat finally conceded, his face as stout as ever. Rhyme just shook her head.

After finally catching my breath, I couldn't help but chuckle at their exchange. That was a mistake.

"What'chu laughin' at Phones?" Reaching over, Beat put me in a surprisingly efficient headlock and started rubbing my skull with his knuckle while I squirmed and Rhyme laughed.

A delicate voice emanated from behind us. "Um... Excuse me..."

When I turned around (Beat had let me go at the sound of the new voice) I was met with a surprising sight. A girl with soft, black hair was regarding us with an almost painful shyness. She was wearing a thin green jacket and a lightly toned, floral print skirt. Her glasses hung precariously on her nose, threatening to fall at any second. Her face was soft, with delicate features and a petite mouth. And in her arms...

Rhyme gasped. "It's Mr. Mew!" she cried. "But that means..."

I grinned. "Nice to see the real you, Shiki."

Beat was surprised to see Shiki's true form. He stammered, "Wow. You're... not... um..."

She smiled apologetically. "It's certainly different than Eri's body, isn't it? I still don't really know if I prefer being me or Eri..." She trailed off into a sad stare at her own limbs.

I grunted disbelievingly. "BS. This suits you far better. Besides, I always thought Eri's fashion style was a bit... scant," I replied jokingly.

Everyone had a good laugh at that, but Shiki was obviously trying not to giggle. "Neku!" she mock whined, still trying not to let her mirth show. "She's not like that. Don't say that. And stop laughing!" she exclaimed, suddenly serious, which of course only made us laugh harder. Eventually, she gave in and laughed right along with us.

It took us a long time to finally settle down. It felt like all of the constant tension and fear of the past few weeks was finally freeing itself, transforming itself into overwhelming relief that bubbled up in waves of uncontrollable laughter. Even if I wanted to stop the incessant flow of mirth, I don't think I would be able to. It was just something we needed to get out of our systems.

After about 15 minutes, we all tapered off into a companionable silence, interrupted only by the occasional giggling fit. But when my relief finally boiled down to the last drop, my mind turned to far less appealing thoughts. I could only think of one thing...

"What do we do now?"

End of Chapter

Hello, PsychComposer here. OK, I know this is a slow chapter. Firsties usually are. But it gets better! Promise! So don't jump ship just because no one gets bloodied up in the first chapter. o.O

Anyways, as always, critical analysis is greatly appreciated and welcomed. A shout-out goes to SilverWingedGentleman for being my first (and so far only) reviewer. Thank you!

That about does it for this chapter. See ya, and Psych Out!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Becoming Alive Again

None of us knew how to answer. We were honestly paralyzed at the thought of doing anything. All of us knew what we should be doing; finding our families, relatives, and friends, just to show them that we were alive. But it was terrifying. What if the world had been a better place while we were dead? Would people be angry or disappointed at our revival? Or had our loved ones simply forgotten about us? The possible (if improbable) truths were countless and suffocating. And even if they weren't true, none of us were quite ready to face their questions. How do you explain away being dead for 3 weeks? The typical I-got-lost-on-the-way-home routine isn't going to cut it.

Thankfully one of us had a temporary solution.

"I'm starving, yo!" Beat grumbled. "Le's grab somethin' to eat.

Once we had all grabbed some food from the nearby Sunshine Burger stand, our little gaggle found an empty bench next to Hachiko and sat down. Beat was already tackling his double cheeseburger, but the rest of us were just picking at our food. I didn't have an appetite. Whenever I managed a bite, my burger was tasteless and unfulfilling. I could think of nothing besides how we could convince people that we had been in an alternate plane for the last three weeks. It was nearly hopeless without being able to prove it. And I doubt there would be any volunteers to kill themselves to reach an alternate plane that probably wouldn't exist, only to fight for their life in the following week if they did make it. Oh boy, what fun.

If the truth wouldn't convince people, then we would have to lie. But what lie could possibly cover up the truth of what we've been through? We've been dead. There have probably been funerals and everything. It would be a huge shock not only to those we know, but to the media world in general, if a few dead kids started walking around again. No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn't come up with even a slightly believable excuse. How were we going to explain this mess?

I could tell from my companion's expressions that they were thinking of the same problem. Rhyme was fingering her bell pendant, Shiki hugged Mr. Mew in one arm and poked at her salad with the other. Beat just ate his burger, silent for once. None of our expressions were very bright.

"I just don't get it," I said, frustrated. "If the point of the game is to give us a second chance at life, then why are we stuck with something like this? It completely screws over any chance of getting our regular lives back!" I chucked one of the pickle wedges from my burger over the heads of the crowd out of frustration. Hearing the irritated "Who Did That?" after the missile hit its mark was satisfying, but didn't do much to lift my mood.

Suddenly Rhyme stood up. "Wait a minute," she stammered excitedly. "What if… That's it!" Without another word, she whipped out her phone and checked the screen. Her hopeful expression suddenly split into a wide grin. "I knew it!" She exclaimed. "Guys, check the date on your phone!"

Confused, we all complied. We all released a collective gasp at what we saw.

It was November 2nd; the day we had all first participated in the Reaper's Game.

Beat wasn't quite as fast to catch on. "Hell's up with my phone? The day's way off," he remarked exasperatedly. He started poking the screen, even though his phone didn't look touch sensitive. Did he honestly think that would work?

"How is this possible?" Shiki whispered. "Did the last few weeks really just… Disappear?"

I stared up at the sky. Apparently Joshua can screw with time as well. How wonderful. As if a Composer with a God complex wasn't bad enough, he can bend reality too. Now I'll never be sure I'm not on the receiving end of some cosmic prank courtesy of Joshua.

"Oh crap!" Beat shouted, staring at his phone. "It's already 8! Rhyme, we gotta bounce or Dad'll be harping at us for hours!" Instantly, he sprinted off in the direction of their house, desparate to avoid incurring the wrath of his parents. Rhyme hurriedly promised to call them both when she had time (they had already traded numbers during the Game) and followed her reckless brother into the crowd.

I sighed inwardly. Not even an hour into being alive, and Beat already feels at home again. Sometimes I envy his straight-forward view of life.

POV shift (Beat)

As he ran home, Beat felt anything but worth envying. He hadn't been exaggerating when he had said their father would be yelling for hours. When you got him riled up, he could rant until the sun came up. Nothing could stop him, not even when Rhyme and Mom stepped in. And he never let up or took in any other views other than his own. That's why so many of their "conversations" ended up with Beat just running out of the house. In fact, that's what had indirectly lead to his death, and Rhyme's.

But this time would be different. Beat was determined to stick it out this time. Maybe he'll even figure out why his dad could never give him a break…

At his breakneck speed, Beat was already approaching the apartment complex where his family lived. As soon as he saw the building, any hope of getting in undetected was erased when Beat noticed his father, a middle-aged balding man, waiting for them at the front door. Crap. He'd been hoping to get Rhyme inside without his parents noticing.

His father finally noticed him about 20 feet from the front door. His face contorted in anger and the familiar popping vein in his head signaled a huge explosion of a scolding.

Beat walked the few feet left between him and his dad, preparing for the worst.

Dad sucked in a huge breath…

POV shift (Rhyme)

A few blocks away, Rhyme was struggling through the crowds, trying to keep up with her brother. For the most part, she had failed miserably; Beat was much faster than her and could more or less barrel through a crowd without much thought. Although, as useful as speed could be, there were definitely times when you need to slow down and consider your options.

Suddenly, she heard a gigantic voice booming from a few blocks away. "DAISUKENOJO BITO! GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!

Case in point, Rhyme sighed to herself. Better go bail Beat out before he gets skinned alive.

POV shift (Beat)

Beat was not liking where this confrontation was going. He had been hoping to just talk with his dad as soon as he came into view, but instead, Beat was being dragged up three flights of stairs by his ear. Not a fun way to travel.

"Owowowowowow!" Beat shouted. "Le'ggo, dad! That hurts!"

His dad just grunted. "Not untill you explain yourself, son," he hissed, pulling him further up the stairs.

"I'm TRYING!" Beat exclaimed exasperatedly. "But you keep pulling me! Let go!" Finally, Beat just jerked away from him, and took a resisting stance, refusing to budge no matter how hard his dad pulled.

After a few more hostile pulls and jerks, they finally reached a standstill, glaring at each other, neither side willing to back down. His dad gave a drawn out sigh, but didn't relax. After a few minutes of awkward silence, he just commanded "Explain yourself.".

" 'Bout time. You see…" Beat trailed off as he realized that he had absolutely no idea what he should say. The truth was out of the question. But what could he say instead? Beat was never a quick thinker under pressure.

I wish Rhyme were here, he thought. She could have this straightened out in a second.

POV shift (Rhyme)

Rhyme had been running a lot longer that she usually did. Her breath came in gasps and her limbs were crying out for rest. This whole running thing just isn't for me, she thought. It was more Beat's style.

Then she burst through the doors leading to the stairwell, only to be meet with the sight of a rather hostile confrontation between Beat and Dad.

Fortunately for her delinquent brother, she had a mind like a cheetah and an observant eye for detail. Rhyme quickly took in the aggressive poses and Beat's helpless expression and instantly guessed what was happening. Unfortunately for Beat, a few seconds is a very short time to come up with a believable lie, but Rhyme had been putting the finishing touches on her story during the run here.

"Hi dad. Did Beat told you what happened? We almost got hit by a truck today! We were so close to dying!" she burst out, still gasping from the exercise.

The surprised expression on their normally stoic father's face was almost worth lying to him for. "Is that so?" he grunted. "I certainly hope Daisukenojo here didn't have anything to do with causing it," he shot another glare at his son. Beat visibly winced at being called his real name, and was about to retaliate when Rhyme piped up again to keep the conversation civil.

"No way, dad! Beat actually saved me from a runaway driver! I really thought I was gonna die!" She saaaaaaaaid excitedly.

"See?" Beat yelled at their dad. "Why you always gotta be on my case, Dad?"

"Because you always seem to be the problem!" Dad yelled back.

"No way! You just makin' up excuses."

"Hmph. Stop denying it."

"No way!"

"Take that back!"

"Never!"

Rhyme sighed. This was going to go on for hours. Oh well. Better go see Mom and tell her what happened.

POV shift (Neku)

Elsewhere in the city, Neku was also having parent problems. Well, "parent" isn't the right word, exactly. Neku lives with his step-uncle Frank, an arrangement neither of them enjoys. The only reason he hadn't already permanently walked out of the door was legal issues. Once he was 18, he would be out of here faster than Frank could say "about time you left".

Neku was sitting at the dinner table, eating a microwave dinner without any interest or relish. The food itself was awful; it had probably been lying out for hours by Frank, who's version of providing food generally consisted of a do-it-yourself meal thrown in the microwave sometime after 6. Uncle Frank wasn't much for cooking. Ramen noodles the limits of his culinary abilities.

Neku's evening, while unpleasant, was going significantly better than Beat's. After Rhyme had run off after her brother, Neku and Shiki had tried to hold up a conversation, trading small talk and meaningless questions. And her cell phone. She was constantly checking it, occasionaly texting to whoever was on the other end. And whenever Neku steered the topic towards the Reaper's Game, Shiki would abrubtly start staring at the screen, making conversation impossible. . Eventually, Neku just gave up. After a particularly long awkward silence, Shiki had announced that she had to head home. They bade each other farewell and Shiki left, hurrying through the crowds towards her house.

She was just acting so differently, ever since she got her old body back. Was this the way she had been before the Game? He hoped not. He already missed the steadfast, confident girl he had first partnered with.

He was jerked out of daydreamland when his irritable uncle grunted as he lifted himself out of his chair. With his sports and poker shows over for the night, he had finally decided to concern himself with his step-nephew's recent activity.

"So. You finally show up. You got that job yet, or am I gonna be paying to keep you alive for another few years?" he sneered, twisting his mouth in an asinine smile. He'd been insisting Neku should be paying for his own welfare by now, to which Neku promptly refused. It's not like he wouldn't work, but he didn't see the point if the money would end up in Frank's hands anyway. And it would, one way or another.

"Nope. Just hanging with some friends," Neku replied, poking at his plastic piece of ham. He'd learned that Frank would leave him alone if Neku didn't react to him much.

"Friends?" Frank scoffed. "You don't have any friends." He gave Neku's head a callous rub and walked out of the room, believing he had scored a winning point.

That's what you think, Neku thought to himself. I've got friends like you've never had.

Later that evening, when the moon was shining through his cramped window, Neku was performing an experiment. It was simple really. He had placed a small piece of paper on a plate. In his hand, Neku held a small, circular object. Its shape was familiar to him, settling into his palm like a bird in its nest.

This object was a pin, decorated with a simple flame design.

Taking in a long breath, Neku began to clear his mind, settling into the familiar groove of extending his mind. He felt almost suspended, as if his weight suddenly meant nothing. In the Game, Neku would've felt all of the individual consciences of the passerby along with the hostile vibrations of the Noise. But here the space felt empty. He couldn't feel any of it. He didn't mind. He didn't want to get distracted right now.

When he felt he had sufficiently cleared all other thoughts from his head, Neku lifted the pin, and without opening his eyes, muttered "Burn".

There was no reaction.

Neku sighed. He hadn't really expected it to work, but he had to try just in case. Still, it was a little disappointing. He'd been throwing cars around and shooting lightning out of his hand only yesterday. But the safety of the RG had its costs. Oh well.

Reaching over, Neku impassively dumped the wad of paper out of the window, his thoughts turning to sleep as he remembered how tiring his life had been recently. He was gonna sleep in tomorrow for sure.

Unknown to Neku, the wad of paper he had discarded was falling down to ground level. It bounced off a drainpipe, rolled off a slanted roof, and came to a stop in nook of a gloomy alley lit only by a few exit signs above the doors lining the concrete hallway.

It wasn't until days later that this particular wad of paper received any sort of attention, when a certain bored barista strolled by, planning his next big art project. Oddly enough, as soon as he saw this little wad, he instantly bent to examine it. As he unfolded the little ball, he was met with a surprising sight.

"Interesting…" the man muttered. "The outside of this paper ball is perfectly fine, yet the inside is nothing but ashes. Now who could manage that?" The man gave a quircky little smirk and continued on his way, but now with a little bounce to his step.

End of Chapter 2.

OK, I just want to start by saying I'm really sorry about last chapter. I had no clue it would get so messed up. Oh well. Rookie mistakes. I think I fixed it, but tell me if it isn't.

As always, reviews and critisism is welcomed. I'm also having a bit of trouble motivating myself to write recently, so any sort of encouragement is adored. I'm also going to try to get a regular writing schedule going, but no promises.

Uuuuumm, that about covers it. No new reviewers this time (sad face). So until the next chapter, see ya, and Psych Out.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Old Friendship

Shiki hated confrontations. She had ever since she was a little girl, when a boy had stolen a chocolate cookie her mom had left for her as a snack during preschool. When she demanded it back, the boy just pushed her away. Indignant, Shiki reacted as any offended child would; she pushed back. Of course, this slight couldn't be left unanswered, so the boy gave her a shove. She had fallen backward, pin wheeling her arms in an attempt to stay upright, and her head hit the table behind her with a loud thwack. A sharp pain, an ailing scream, and then the world melted to black as she struggled to keep her eyes open. She didn't remember what happened after that.

She was later told that she had been knocked unconscious. A concussion. It was nothing serious, the doctors assured her. She would be perfectly fine after some rest. But Shiki never forgot what standing up for herself had done to her. After that day, she would rarely, if ever, go against someone else's will. She became timid, shy, and unassuming. She never made many friends and didn't talk much with the ones she did have.

That is, until she met Eri.

Shiki had met her during an art project in elementary school. The teacher, a lively, strict woman named Mrs. Victoria, had decided she'd had enough of her students working silently at their desks, and assigned them all partners for a group project. Shiki remembered biting her lip as the teacher rattled off a list who would sit with whom. She hated group work. She always got stuck with the rowdy kids in her class.

When she heard her name, Shiki walked over to her spot, head down. Hopefully she would get a nice partner.

"Hi there!" a lively voice called when she got close. "You're Shiki, right? My name's Eri. I'm your partner."

Shiki gave a start. Eri was one of the most popular girls in her class, maybe even her grade. There were probably a lot of people who had wanted to be her partner. She could already feel the imaginary eyes tracking her as she neared the table she had been assigned.

"Hello," she muttered in reply. She hoped no one minded her partnership with the most popular girl in class. I didn't ask for this, she thought. Oooooh, what should I do?

"Okay," Eri proclaimed, "In this project, we need to draw all of the stuff we have in common. Sooooo…." Eri squinted at the list of suggested topics on the board. "Oh! I got it. What do you like to do?"

"Uuumm… Well, I like to play with dolls," Shiki ventured, slightly distracted. Kristi, one of the more popular girls in school, was giving her the stink eye from across the room. She had probably wanted to be partners with Eri.

Eri's face lit up. "Really? Me too! What kind of clothes do you have? Are they pretty?"

Shiki fidgeted nervously. "Well, my family doesn't have a lot of money, so I usually make my own doll clothes," she murmured. The last time Kristi had been mad at her, she'd gotten a gaggle of her friends to follow her around school calling her four-eyes. That hadn't been a fun week.

"Oh, that's too bad…" Eri sympathized. Then she did a double take. "Wait, you make your own doll clothes?" she asked, surprised.

Shiki just nodded, eyes unfocused. She could just imagine what Kristi would be saying. She's too good for you. Why should she hang out with some Four-eyes? Just stop. Shiki bit her lip. She was going to be teased for sure. Ohhhh, what do I do?

"That's so cool!" Eri exclaimed. "I wanna be a fashion designer when I grow up, but whenever I try to sew something together, I always end up poking myself with the needle." Shiki wasn't listening. Her thoughts were trumpeting a tune of guilt in her head that she just wanted to go away.

Finally she couldn't take it. She suddenly stood up and quickly walked towards their teacher.

"Where are you going?" Eri cried with alarm from behind her. Shiki heard the scrape of her chair as Eri got up to follow her.

Mrs. Victoria noticed the pair of girls as they neared the large desk where she kept a stern watch over the students as they worked during work periods. "Yes?" she inquired. "What is it?"

"I want to switch partners," Shiki blurted, her face clearly distressed.

Mrs. Victoria blinked, which was about the only sign that she was quite surprised. She knew that Eri was often a sought-after partner among her students, and she had been hoping that Eri's natural cheerfulness would have a positive impact on Shiki's shy, often anti-social nature. "And why can't you stay with Eri?" she asked sternly.

Shiki began fidgeting nervously. "Well, you see…" she began, " It's just that Eri's really popular, and I don't want her to be partners with someone she doesn't want to."

Mrs. Victoria gave a doubtful tut-tut, knowing that this reason was probably a complete lie. Out of the corner of her eye she spied Kristi, one of the less pleasant girls, trying to hide a smirk. Quickly connecting the dots, she realized what the real reason behind Shiki's reluctance was. How troublesome.

"Hmmmm. Well, if you think that's what is best…" Mrs. Victoria sighed. "Of course, first we need to follow a few guidelines," she said, standing up to gain the attention of the class.

Shiki swallowed. She'd been hoping to keep this transaction as quiet as possible.

Clearing her throat, Victoria announced, "OK class, before we begin our assignment, we need to do a little partner rotation. Would anyone like to be Eri's partner?"

Quite a few hands went up, at least a third of the class. Then Kristi raised her hand. Soon after, many of the previous volunteers put their hands down. Shiki hadn't been her only victim.

Mrs. Victoria nodded, noting the names of those still volunteering. "Kristi. You can be her partner." Kristi responded with a triumphant smile. A few of the other students looked disappointed, but most just stared at their papers and kept on working.

Then Mrs. Victoria gave a small clap. "I almost forgot. We have one more question to ask," she smiled as she turned her attention towards Eri, who had been about to burst out from indignation at being ignored in a decision that concerned her. "Eri, do you want to switch partners?"

"Of course not!" Eri huffed. "Why would I want to trade away someone who can make her own doll clothes?"

Shiki was startled, to say the least. She'd never even considered her talent with a needle to be interesting in the least. "D-Do you really mean that?" she stammered.

"Yeah! Can you show me some of the stuff you've sewn after school?" Eri asked cheerfully, taking Shiki by the hand and leading her back to their table.

"Um, sure…" Shiki replied, already smiling.

They'd been friends ever since.

But would it stay that way?

Shiki had been worried sick ever since her return to life. She had even debated abandoning her new friends in order to find Eri as soon as possible, but her sensible side had won out. Instead, she had spent a good chunk of her time texting her few acquaintances to find out where Eri was. She felt a little guilty about practically ignoring Neku, but she had more pressing things on her mind. She needed to know; could she make up with her life-long friend?

She was on the verge of finding out. And the suspense was killing her.

She'd been standing outside of a simple two story house for at least half an hour. One of her friends had mentioned that Eri would probably be at this house, since there was a small, exclusive party going on. Obviously, Eri had been invited. Normally, Shiki and Eri would be hanging out at 104 about now, but with Shiki vanishing into thin air, this was the most probable place for Eri to be.

Shiki hadn't even been able to touch the doorknob yet. Fear of the possible froze her in place. She could be seconds away from losing her childhood friend.

Then Neku's voice drifted out from her memories...

"You need to live your own life. All that matters is you try."

Shiki hardened her face.

She opened the door.

Inside was a seemingly normal party scene, with party-goers mingling about, occasionally dancing to the thumping music blaring in the background. It was all rather mellow compared to what Shiki thought she would see. Unfortunately, that also meant that the room had been relatively quiet when she had thrown open the door, and now every face in the room was staring at her.

"What are you doing here?" one of the burlier teens, a track runner, asked. "I've never seen you before. If you mattered I'd know you."

Shiki gulped. She hadn't been anticipating additional confrontations. "Ummm... Errrr... Is Eri here?" she stammered. All these eyes were getting to her.

"Eri? She's upstairs. But what would a little nobody like you want with - HEY!" the snob yelled as Shiki barreled past him towards the spiral staircase. "I ain't done talking!"

Shiki didn't listen. She just kept running. He doesn't matter, she told herself, I just need to get to Eri.

She hadn't gone through the last three weeks for nothing. She had done it to get back to life. Back to her friend.

Finally, she reached the top.

There, across the hallway, a gaggle of girls was staring at her. And in the middle of them...

"Eri!" Shiki cried out. She could already feel the tears in her eyes.

Eri was stunned. "Shiki? What are you doing here?" she asked.

One of the girls standing next to Eri found her voice. "Oh look. The leech decided to show up," she giggled. "You can't do anything by yourself, can you?"

Shiki flinched. Wonderful. It was Kristi. Ever since Eri had become her friend, Kristi had started calling her leech due to the fact that Shiki would rarely be seen away from Eri. She had always hated the nickname, and apparently Kristi knew it.

Eri reared back from Kristi, an appalled expression on her face. "Kristi! Don't call her that!" she stammered.

Kristi was unimpressed. "Hmph. It's true. C'mon Eri, let's go somewhere a little more private," she pranced over to a nearby door and gestured for Eri to follow.

"No!" Shiki yelled. "Um... Well, that is... Eri, can I talk to you?"

"Of course!" Eri replied. Kristi just scowled. She hated losing out to Shiki all the time.

Shiki followed Eri into one of the rooms and sat down on the bed. She curled her hair with her little finger, distracted.

"So," Eri began, "What do you need to talk about?"

End of Chapter 3

Mua ha ha ha! Cliff hanger!

But in all seriousness, I had planned on completing Shiki's mini story all the way through, but it just got too long. Plus it had been a long time since I had uploaded a chapter, so I just decided to cut it off here.

Speaking of, I probably won't have a chapter out until my school year lets out... But after that I should be able to get a regular schedule going. Hopefully.

Next, reviewers! Thanks go out to Xire and SilverWingedGentleman for their reviews. Thank you very much for your words of encouragement.

Also, I wanted to point something out story-wise. In TWEWY, Eri notes that she casually met Shiki while she was sewing Mr. Mew. That is not the case here. I've tried to stay as true to the original story as possible, but I just like my version of how they met much more. XD I really had fun creating Shiki's backstory.

That about wraps it up... So until next time, see ya, and Psych Out.


	5. Chapter 5

I'm so sorry for the huge delay. I was just basking in summer rays. And laziness. But whatever! I'm back, and going on a schedule, so expect weekly (possibly faster) updates. And now, on to the story!

Chapter 4

Confession

Shiki just sat stunned for a few seconds as her brain settled into a manageable rhythm. She slowly managed to focus on what she wanted to say. Nothing came for a while, just white noise, but then she remembered the few little words she'd been dying to tell Eri. Time for judgement...

"Eri?" Shiki stammered. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course!" her friend replied. "Anything at all."

_Well_, Shiki thought, _There's no turning back. Let's get this over with._

Taking a deep breath, Shiki whispered, "Eri, I came here to tell you something that I've been holding onto for years. Something that I've been harboring ever since I met you..." Shiki paused, looking over at Eri, expecting a response. She just nodded and waved her hand for her to continue.

Finally. It ends here.

"I'm jealous of you!" Shiki burst out, releasing years of pent-up emotion. "Ever since we were friends I've always envied you. You were popular, talented, beautiful, and yet you would always spend your time with a nobody like me. I never understood it. And I was always afraid you would leave me one day," Shiki heaved in a shaky breath and wiped the beginnings of tears from her eyes. "I wanted to be you for so long, but I've always been too shy in groups. No matter how much I tried, I would always just be your shadow, following you around like an annoying bug that wouldn't leave you alone. I wanted to be you so bad!" she sobbed, shaking uncontrollably. Shiki wrapped her arms around herself and refused to look up, trying to stem the flow of tears.

At first, Eri didn't react. She sat in silence, digesting the news. She seemed sullen, her mouth held in a tight line. For a while, she didn't speak, and instead watched her friend cry from across the room. After a minute stifled sobs, Shiki slowly recovered enough to notice Eri's odd behavior.

Oh no, she thought. I knew it. Eri hates me for sure now. Why did I have to say that?

Then Eri stood up.

Her face was still as stone, her expression unreadable. Without a sound, she walked over to the bed and stopped in front of Shiki.

"Eri?" Shiki stammered.

Then Shiki noticed her eyes.

"You... You're... Crying?" Shiki whispered.

Eri looked up, her eyes leaking sprkling diamonds. "You're so STUPID!" Eri yelled.

Then, seeing Shiki flinch, she reached down and just wrapped her arms around her friend in a warm hug. "You've never been a shadow. Or a leech. Don't ever say that again." she murmured into Shiki's ear. "You've always been my friend. And you always will be." Eri paused for a second, then held Shiki's shoulders at arms length, letting them talk face to face. "And you know what?" she asked, a smile threatening to break out on her face. "I've always been jealous of you. You're always so nice and caring, and you're a genius with a thread and needle," she giggled as she wiped a few tears from her eyes. "It's kinda funny, you know?"

Shiki didn't know what to say. When she opened her mouth, the only words that came out were "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course!" Eri replied.

And with that, they both embraced each other like they would never let go.

POV change

Neku was eating alone. And for once, it wasn't by choice.

After a few days of trying to live in the same space as his step-father, he had gotten sick of just taking his abuse and thrown a nearby book at him. Unfortunately, it missed, and his enraged step-dad kicked him out of the apartment until bedtime (Frank had tried to kick him out overnight a few times, but the cops that brought Neku to his door usually came armed with fine tickets). Neku had been enraged. He hadn't fought through masses of tatooed, mutated animals for this. So he decided to take advantage of a new resource of his; friends. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite that simple.

He was currently sitting at Hachiko, sullenly picking at a batch of french fries on a park bench. He had been waiting for his friends to show up for an hour now and he wasn't very hopeful that they would be appearing soon. He had called both Shiki and Rhyme, but Shiki was designing an outfit with Eri (as if she hadn't spent the last 72 hours with her) and Rhyme said that Beat was in a heated argument with their dad. Leaving now would be like putting a keg of gunpowder over a fire. So he was alone.

He grunted at no one in particular, feeling sorry for himself. So much for friends. When they weren't fighting to save their own asses, they were too busy for a little get together.

Neku tossed his half-eaten batch of fries into the trash and slipped his headphones over his ears, shutting out the chatter of the world to listen to some of his favorite tunes.

_Screw this_, Neku thought to himself. _I'm going to the CAT memorial._

_And off he went, alone._

_POV change_

_Kariya was in a bad mood. Why wouldn't he be? He'd just been told that his whole month of free time had just gone down the toilet._

"_Just my luck," he muttered to Uziki, who was walking next to him. "I'm all ready for those glorious few weeks without work and then this happens."_

"_Tell me about it," Uziki sighed exasperatedly. "I was so pumped to just rest after last week. Can't they give us a break?" She kicked a small rock as they passed. "Those dolts have no clue how much mind-control wears you down. I could really use a spa day right now," she pouted, hunching her shoulders._

_Kariya shook his head. "All I need is a day without work. But Noooooooo," he whined, "Now we get to start a cleanup job that'll take three weeks at least." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a lollipop and immediately stuck it in his mouth. These little treats could always calm him down._

_Uziki gave him a bewildered stare. "Uuum, dude?" she said. "You forgot the wrapper."_

_Kariya sighed, took out the lollipop, and promptly removed the offending paper. "You see?" he burst out. "This is exactly the kind of thing I was afraid would..." he froze midsentence, balking thier advance,and stared in front of them._

"_Uziki?" he whispered. "Do you see that?"_

_Uziki stared around, not noticing what had stopped Kariya in his tracks. "What? I don't see anything," she replied. Then her gaze drifted down towards the creature that sat in the middle of the read._

"_No way," she muttered. "This can't be."_

_Three feet away from them, staring placidly at them with unblinking eyes, was a Dixiefrog._

_It wasn't anything special. It looked like a regular frog, it's body and front legs a slimy green color, except for the fact that the hind legs were tattoos. It was also famous for being one of the most common and weakest noise types._

_That wasn't the problem. The problem was that it was here. In the UG._

"_This is bad," Uziki muttered._

_Beside her, Kariya sighed. "I have a feeling I'm gonna be craving some free time real soon..."_

_End chapter 4_

_Okay. First, I would like to reiterate how sorry I am for the delay, and my weekly updates. Otherwise, I would just like to thank BeatsNRhymes and PMiller1 for thier kind reviews. So, untill next week, Psych out._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

Crisis Beginning

Neku had been walking along his regular route through Shibuya one day, slouching his way through the streets, when he happened upon a friend of his. Normally, he'd be overjoyed, as his friends had been far too preoccupied during the last few days to spend time with him. Unfortunately, this "friend" only held that title in the loosest of terms.

One of the best examples of why was happening right now. Currently, Neku was staring at a large, frilly, hot pink dress. The shoulders were puffed out and the hem of the dress expanded about two feet from the center. It was a real piece of work, lined with embroideries and lacing that gave the whole piece a real princess quality. In fact, Neku would probably be very impressed with it if he wasn't the one being forced to wear it.

"Joshua," Neku growled menacingly at his companion. "Why am I wearing this dress, exactly?"

Next to him, Joshua grinned that sardonic smile of his as he answered Neku's question. "Isn't it obvious? You look gorgeous in it."

Neku shot him a glare that could have melted steel. "Don't screw with me, Joshua. Why am I wearing this dress?"

After a few seconds, Joshua recovered enough from an insistent batch of giggles to answer his question. In a completely sober voice he replied, "Fine. If you take that 19th century dress off, you will likely be sucked into an inter-dimensional void and have your atoms stretched until they literally explode. Now shut up and look at the puppy."

Joshua never did like to make a lot of sense. But enough with the cryptic flash-forwards. It's about time someone explained what the heck was going on.

Neku had just been ambling along, going nowhere in particular, when Joshua literally appeared in front of him. No flash of light or any warning, just poof, and he was there.

"Well hello there, Nekky! Long time no see!" he said amiably. He looked the same as ever. His hair was still oddly grew and flowing, His face was angled and sharp, but relaxed. His eyes betrayed a hint of an odd logic born of an untold period of immortality. He wore, as usual, a simple blue-grey button-up tee and dark grey jeans.

Neku stopped in his tracks and just took in the sight of his Partner. He took in the calm, aggravating aura that Joshua always seemed to exude. He soaked for a moment in all of the memories of what Joshua put him through, all of the trials, pain, lessons, and hidden blessings, and came to a decision.

"Move," Neku grunted. He didn't feel like dealing with this asshole right now. Too much on his mind.

Joshua, of course, wasn't going to lie down and just do what he was told. "But Nekky, don't you wanna catch up for a while?" he asked innocently, the smile never wavering on his face.

Neku sighed. He'd seen this coming easily enough. Then, without warning, he threw a straight punch at Joshua's head.

Or at least the space where Joshua's head had been a second ago. Joshua had managed to effortlessly arc his slim frame out of the way of Neku's fist, simply bending and letting Neku's punch whoosh by him.

"I'm not in the mood for small talk. What do you want?" Neku grunted again, sounding more tired than anything.

"Oh nothing much. I just wanted to show you something," Joshua replied haughtily.

"So what is it?" Neku sighed. "Do you have another piece of my memory that you just happened to forget?" he asked, sending Joshua another nasty glare. He wasn't quite over how Joshua killed him and messed with his mind yet.

Joshua chuckled. "Don't be silly! I don't have any of those," he protested, but then muttered "That you know of."

"What did you say?" Neku shouted, thrusting his face directly in front of Joshua's.

"Oh, nothing," Joshua chortled. "But I'm going to have to take you to the UG to show you this." He extended a hand out to him. "You coming?"

Neku was surprised at the gesture, already a little off balance from Joshua mentioning the UG. Why would he want to take him there? Could it be a trap, designed to lure Neku into another Game for Joshua's amusement? Neku wasn't quite sure. But he trusted Joshua, to a certain extent. He was relatively certain that this wasn't a trap. Besides, Joshua would force him along if he refused.

"Fine," Neku muttered, grabbing Joshua's hand. Instantly, as soon as Neku grasped his hand, the entire world stretched out into thin strips, and then vanished to black.

Neku woke up slowly, much like when he was in the Game again. He got up groggily, wondering why his feet were fumbling around so much more than usual. When he finally got on his feet, he looked down to find himself wearing an obnoxiously pink, ridiculously frilly dress. Needless to say, he was not very happy about it.

"Joshua," Neku growled menacingly at his companion. "Why am I wearing this dress, exactly?"

Next to him, Joshua grinned that sardonic smile of his as he answered Neku's question. "Isn't it obvious? You look gorgeous in it."

Neku shot him a glare that could have melted steel. "Don't screw with me, Joshua. Why am I wearing this dress?"

After a few seconds, Joshua recovered enough from an insistent batch of giggles to answer his question. In a completely sober voice he replied, "Fine. If you take that 19th century dress off, you will likely be sucked into an inter-dimensional void and have your atoms stretched until they literally explode. Now shut up and look at the puppy."

Neku just looked at him for a few seconds, an awkward bemused stare on his face, trying to comprehend what exactly Joshua was saying. "Wait... what?"

Joshua sighed. "That dress is acting as an anchor to the UG for you. If you take it off, your soul will try to rush back to the RG and invariably get caught in the void separating the two, where it will be instantly destroyed." He raised an eyebrow at Neku. "Does that answer your question?"

He nodded, still a little confused, but understanding the basic concept. "But does it have to be a dress?" he asked, staring down at the mass of embroidered cloth that was smothering him.

Joshua just shrugged. "Do you know how hard it is make a dimensional anchors? It's not exactly simple to bind a piece of cloth to an entire spatial plane. I was lucky to have that," he explained tactfully, but Neku could barely see the hint of a smile at the corner of Joshua's mouth. "But anyway, we should get back to business." He said, clapping his hands to get the conversation back to his main point.

"Ah yes," Neku mentioned dryly. "The oh-so-important puppy. Where is it exactly?"

Joshua rolled his eyes. "Take a look around. See if you can guess."

After a quick look around, it was clear to see what he meant. Out in the middle of the street sat a garage wolf, a noise that looks like, well, a wolf. Except for its arms, which looked like blue and white tattoo copies of limbs. Neku pointed at it. "Is that the 'puppy' you wanted me to see?" he asked.

Joshua nodded, serious. "It is."

Neku wasn't impressed. "Joshua, I've seen dozens of these things before. Why do you feel the need to drag me out here in this ridiculous dress to see this?" he asked.

"Because," Joshua said impatiently, "This particular noise hasn't been summoned by a Reaper," he glanced at Neku. "Make sense yet?"

"Nope," Neku replied nonchalantly.

Joshua sighed. "Do I have to explain everything to you?" he asked.

Neku thought about that for a second. "Yeah, pretty much," he said, clearly not caring about his ignorance.

Joshua shook his head. "The problem, Neku, is that noise shouldn't be able to manifest themselves in the UG unless they've been summoned by a Reaper. Somehow, this noise had its Code tweaked so it can travel to the UG. Does that mean anything to you?" He pointed at the wolf, who was innocently sniffing the ground, to emphasize his point.

"No. Not really."

Joshua stared at him, his eyes filled with an emotion that could only be anger. "Neku. Stop being an ass. This is serious."

Neku shrugged. "Fine. Now tell me in layman's terms; why is this wolf so important?"

Joshua looked up at the sky, calming himself down, and stated simply, "If we can't find out why these noise are appearing, the UG will be overrun in a matter of weeks. And when that happens, noise will begin to appear in the RG, with all of their sharp claws and pointy teeth intact." He turned to Neku and asked sarcastically, "Is that important enough for you?"

End of Chapter 5

PsychComposer here. And to begin… I really have no excuse for being so late. But please bear with me, and remember that reviews and follows help me keep my motivation up, and speeding my writing process, so the more you review, the faster you get the next chapter. I'm trying not to sound like I'm begging for reviews, but that's just how it is.

And that reminds me. Reviewers! Thanks go out to foggraven, omnisense95, spireck523, and an unnamed guest for their reviews.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6

Disbelief

Neku was in shock. Hearing that Shibuya would be overrun in weeks was too much to take in, and his brain had shut down completely. His mind floated in a daze, grasping the enormity of what Joshua had just told him. A headache that felt like his forehead was being pinched by a giant crab continued to jumble his thoughts. In his stupor, he distantly heard Joshua's voice calling to him.

"Neku! Hey, snap out of it already!" Joshua called to him. "It's not the end of the world. Not yet, anyway."

Neku slowly managed to get his racing mind under control and focused on Joshua, who was standing in front of him with a look of detached, mild concern.

"Okay," Neku muttered. "I'm good. I'm good," he concentrated on slowing his breathing until it returned to normal. When it did, he turned to Joshua and calmly asked, "So. What do we need to do to stop this?"

Joshua smirked and stated, " Oh, nothing much. We just need to cleanse the entire city of rampant Noise while simultaneously looking for clues to figure out what is causing this change in the Noise's coding, and then proceed to stop whatever is causing it."

Neku could feel the headaches coming back. "Wonderful. So it's us five versus everything that the Noise can throw at us," Neku sighed as he pinched his forehead, trying to stop his growing headache.

Joshua shook his head. "Not this time. It's not just your little gaggle that's going to be fighting. I already have the Reapers working overtime on this. At least, the ones that managed to survive the last few weeks," he replied, looking slightly worried. "There aren't many left, with how many Reapers got taken out during the Taboo uprising and Kitanji's brainwashing. But the ones that are left are the strongest." He shrugged, and said "Survival of the fittest, right?"

Neku felt a little embarrassed. He had been personally responsible for quite a few of those Reaper casualties. Not by choice, of course. The Reapers attacked him. But it's best not to let Joshua dwell on that.

"Okay," he replied, trying to change the subject. "I'm going to go round up the others and let them know what's going on. I'll get them to join up." Then Neku remembered the medieval dress and why he was wearing it. With a less-than-overjoyed face, asked, "Now how do I get back and so I can get this dress off?"

POV change: Shiki

Shiki was having a blast. She was hanging out with Eri, as per usual, but what wasn't so usual was the huge amounts of cloth stacked in every spare inch of the crowded workspace they were in. It was hung on hooks, stashed on shelves, and crammed into every orifice available, except for a small sewing table in the center of the room. The cloth came in all colors and textures, from a luscious red that felt as smooth as steel to an unassuming green that almost felt like sandpaper. Any spot not containing cloth was occupied by boxes of designs, decorations, and sewing equipment. The room itself was small and sweltering, and it was almost impossible to move without shoving cloth out of your path. Not to mention the pipes jutting out of the walls above their heads, which rattled and shook whenever someone used any plumbing, which is to say almost constantly.

It was one of Shiki's favorite places in Shibuya.

The sewing room was a small compartment under the stairs in her school that had only gotten the sewing machine because no one else wanted the bulky machine to take up space in their classrooms. Eri had stumbled upon it during her first week of school, and after obtaining permission from the school principal to use the nearly forgotten machine, that small room quickly became Shiki's after-school destination, usually accompanied by Eri.

Today was particularly exciting, because they had a big project to work on. The school prom was fast approaching, and Eri had been asked by the prom coordinator to design the entire decorations for the gymnasium. Because of that, Shiki and Eri had been constantly working on the decorations, buying materials at 104 whenever she wasn't in the sewing room with Eri. There were tons of tablecloths, tapestries, streamers, a few requested articles of clothing for everyone participating, and a hundred and one other little bits and bobs to design and create. It was a huge order to fill, but Shiki was loving every second of it.

She was in the middle of sewing the "r" in prom onto a large piece of cheerful orange silk when her phone started buzzing. Pausing her work, she glanced at her phone and saw that she had gotten a text from Neku. A pang of regret burst through her as she remembered that Neku would probably be all alone again today. Beat and Rhyme had been pretty much put under house arrest, only being allowed to leave for school and errands. She flipped her phone open and checked the contents.

It read simply, "Come to Hachiko. Something has come up with the UG. Meet me asap."

Her face paled. What could have happened? Was she about to be sucked into the world of Noise again? Was her life in danger? She had to see what this was about as soon as possible.

She stood up quickly, accidentally knocking a pair of scissors to the ground in her haste.

Eri glanced up from a diagram of the gymnasium plan, taking in the worried expression and the phone in her hand. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Did something happen?"

Shiki shook her head "I-It's nothing. I just need to step out for a while. Keep working without me, I'll be back soon." She muttered hurriedly, swiping Mr. Mew off of his perch on a nearby shelf and started out the door.

Eri nodded, not fully convinced, but not willing to stop her. "Just watch yourself. I don't know what I would do without you," she said jokingly, gesturing a the huge pile of work that still needed to be done.

Shiki swallowed. She was referring to the work load she was putting up with, but Shiki realized just how true her words were. She recalled how Eri had been devastated when she had been in the Reaper's Game. She didn't want to do that to her friend again, and she needed to do anything she could to avoid it.

She ran out the door without saying anything, too choked up to say anything casual.

POV change: Neku

Neku was waiting at Hachiko, tapping his foot as he waited for his friends. He wasn't in the best mood, as his entrance had been less than smooth. The transfer itself was painless, but Joshua had deposited him in the middle of Scramble Crossing without removing the dress. Needless to say, he got many weird looks as he stripped of the garment and threw it on the ground, knowing that any act of anger would amuse Joshua further.

After about 15 minutes, Beat finally arrived, but when Neku searched for Rhyme, she was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Rhyme?" he asked.

Beat grunted. "She's holdin' Pops off. I have about 10 minutes before he realizes I'm gone," he replied, the annoyance in his voice easily detectable.

Neku gave him a sympathetic glance. "He holds you on a real tight leash, doesn't he?"

"Tell me about it," Beat muttered. He looked ready to start a tirade on his parents, but Shiki arrived, looking flustered and out of breath.

"What's... Wrong?" she asked, panting between words.

"Alright," Neku began addressing both of his friends. "I met Joshua today..." He quickly explained the incoming disaster and how they might be able to stop it.

Their faces were all grim. The destruction of Shibuya was not something to take lightly. After he finished his explanation, Neku sighed, and asked impatiently, "Well, are you guys ready to go back to the UG?"

They were silent for a while. Neither of them met his eyes. Shiki stared at the ground. Beat's shoulders were set in stubborn pose. They didn't respond.

Neku was growing impatient. "C'mon. We have to go," he urged them. "Are you coming or not?"

More silence. The babble of people around them seemed to fade away into the distance. Finally, they both spoke.

"I can't," Shiki whispered.

"I ain't going," Beat muttered.

Neku stared at them in disbelief, unable to say anything except...

"What?"

End of Chapter 6

Hello, PsychComposer here. I really don't have too much to talk about today, so I'm gonna start asking reviewer questions to give me something to do. For these, I'm just going to ask a random question about the story or TWEWY in general, and hopefully get some feedback on it. For now, It won't affect the story, but if it gets popular enough I might give the reviewers a little more power in deciding how this story unfolds. Not any plot points, mind you, just minor encounters.

Anyway, here is the question. What is your favorite type of attack when using Neku?

Also. Thanks go out to OMNISENSE95 and two guest reviewers for their encouragement. I honestly wouldn't still be writing without all of you reviewers, followers, and favoriters (my inner grammar Nazi hates me right now). Thanks for all of the support!

Well, until next time, psych out.


	8. Chapter 8

Warning- spoilers for post-game secret reports.

Separate Paths

"What do you mean you're not going?" Neku yelled at his friends, outraged beyond reason. "Shibuya itself is in danger and you all are just going to sit here in the RG?" He clenched his fists, trying to restrain himself from any... rash movements.

Beat quickly began waving his hands in an almost comical fashion and whispered "Shut up, dude! We don' want anyone to hear about the UG," he pointed at the crowd around them.

"I don't care. Why aren't you two going?" Neku asked accusingly, glaring at Beat.

Beat was beginning to get pissed himself. "Hey. Just cuz you can risk your life at the slightest urging of Prissy Boy doesn't mean anyone else wants anything to do with it!" he shot back, meeting Neku's eyes unwaveringly. "Not to mention he's betrayed you. Twice. And killed you. His track record ain't good, and you still want to be his errand boy?"

Neku just stared back. He had a point. This was exactly the kind of thing Joshua would do to wrap him into another scheme of his. But Neku knew that this wasn't a trick.

"I trust him," Neku replied steadily. "And he showed me the Noise. This is serious."

"Whatever, man," Beat muttered, turning away from him. "Still sounds fishy to me."

Neku grunted in response, and turned his ice-cold gaze on Shiki. "So what's your excuse?"

Shiki cringed, muttering somberly. "I want to help, really. But... But..." She looked up at him. "What if we die?"

"We won't die. We lasted 3 weeks in the UG before, remember?" Neku answered, keeping his gaze level and sharp.

"You survived 3 weeks in the UG," Shiki protested. "I only lasted one. And we have other people who care about us. Do you really want to throw down your life in the UG and leave them all behind?"

Neku blinked incomprehensibly, temporarily unable to understand what Shiki was saying. Then it hit him; he didn't have anyone who who really cared about him outside the partners he met during the Game. His friends, on the other hand, had family, close friends, and a whole network of people that would be left without a satisfying answer to why they had suddenly lost a loved one. He had a total of 3 friends and an asshole that actually knew his name, and a step-uncle that would probably be the opposite of depressed if his troublesome nephew suddenly disappeared. He was in completely different circumstances than they were.

Neku's shoulders sagged as he realized that his friends were probably in the right. They had a lot more at stake here.

With a sigh, Neku gave in. "Fine, fine. You don't have to go," he muttered, turning away from them, shoulders hunched.

"Phones," Beat muttered, stopping me before I disappeared into the crowd. "Shiki isn't only talking about us. She means you too." He looked up. " It ain't worth it, man. Just forget about it."

I stood still for a moment, considering his offer. But I knew what I had to do, and as much as I wanted to, I would never be able to stand idly by while Shibuya crumbled. A month ago, I wouldn't have had a problem with it. But now...

"Sorry, guys. But things are different with me. I won't force you into it, but..." I paused, eyes hot with barely restrained tears. "I can't stay."

I slipped my headphones onto my ears, blocking out the chatter and the noise and the protests as I faded into the current of people, away from my friends and towards an uncertain future filled with shadows.

POV change

Joshua shook his head disapprovingly as he watched Neku pick his way through the crowd and away from Shiki and Beat. He had seen the entire conversation from his favorite vantage point on top of 104. "He still has a lot to learn about people."

Beside him, Hanekoma peered over the edge of the tattered notepad he was sketching in and quickly picked out the distinctive dark outfit and bright orange hair that could only belong to the individual Joshua was referring to. "Can't really blame him. He's been stuck in his own world for years. He doesn't know much about anyone beside himself, or how to deal with them," the barista intoned, looking down at the crowd with something aproaching sadness and regret. Then he returned to his notepad, sketching away at some project his imagination had created.

Joshua shot the Producer an annoyed glance. "You could at least to pretend to be interested, you know."

Hanekoma just chuckled. "Oh, I am. But I have one more urgent little chore that I need to take care of before I take off." He stared critically at his sketch, then sighed and flipped to a new page. "I might not get it done in time, though."

Joshua's eyes lost their edge as he remembered the predicament Hanekoma was in and his fast-arriving departure. He turned back towards the crowd, letting the conversation fall into silence.

"You don't have to go," Joshua stated, not looking away from the crowd below him.

"You know I do."

More silence, broken only by the scratching of pencil on paper.

Finally, Hanekoma sighed and told Joshua, "Look, I know you're worried. But I can't hang around here. If you think a Noise war is bad, then you never want to see an angel war."

Joshua said nothing, and vanished in a flash of light.

"All these years," Mr. H sighed, "And still so stubborn."

He stared out at the city around him, the grand sight spoiled by the masses of noises multiplying in dark alleyways and seedy streets. Josh was going to need every but of stubbornness if he was going to have any hope of saving Shibuya.

Hello again... Finally. Geez. I certainly took long enough, didn't I? And with a dinky little chapter too. Hm. Well, anyway, I am writing again, and hopefully I'll be able to fall into a reasonable habit of churning out chapters sometime soon... Thanks go out to to OMNISENCE95, Batichu, Armourdialga, khheroxasoray, and a guest review for their help in finally getting me writing again. Like I said, reviews speed up the writing process, and in this case, they might be the only reason this wasn't delayed for months. So thanks again, see you soon, and Psych out.


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